1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
a sharp bat with a rolled-up newspaper and that fly was a goner
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in cane
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
riot policemen armed with bats and tear gas
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to knock
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
batted the lamp off the table with one strike
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
batted the piñata until it finally broke open
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to roam
to move about from place to place aimlessly
on Sunday afternoons we'd pile into Father's car and bat around the countryside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bat
Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who hit two home runs on Friday against the Giants, including his first career walk-off home run, had a rough night on Monday, striking out five times in five at-bats.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 1 June 2026
Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
Kaylee Jones, a sophomore center fielder who batted ninth, helped spark the outburst with her second bunt single.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bat
Noun
Cholowsky and the bat boy lingered in their embrace, clinging to the final remnants of a season neither seemed ready to leave behind.
—Ira Gorawara, New York Times, 1 June 2026
Shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who hit two home runs on Friday against the Giants, including his first career walk-off home run, had a rough night on Monday, striking out five times in five at-bats.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 1 June 2026
Verb
Garcia batted behind star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
Kaylee Jones, a sophomore center fielder who batted ninth, helped spark the outburst with her second bunt single.
—Dan Albano, Oc Register, 30 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bat
Noun
-
To pay for her medical bills, the family had to sell most of their remaining cattle and goats, a bitter blow after years of drought had already decimated local herds.—
Tommy Trenchard,
NPR,
31 May 2026
-
This makes for a significant setback but not necessarily a fatal blow to the facility.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
31 May 2026
Noun
-
Four were fishing with cane poles from a rickety dock.—
Byron W. Dalrymple,
Outdoor Life,
4 June 2026
-
They can also be seen around mountains, swamps, cane thickets, wooded stream corridors, and rural habitats.—
Jack Armstrong,
Memphis Commercial Appeal,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
Within Kyiv, five medical facilities and several residential and commercial blocks were damaged or destroyed, sparking fires, burning cars and knocking debris onto a kindergarten, authorities reported.—
Helen Regan,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
-
Even 6 inches of swiftly moving water can forcefully knock you off your feet.—
STAR-TELEGRAM WEATHER BOT,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
When the tiffin is returned licked clean, Ila sends another meal but with a note, leading to a rich correspondence between the two.—
David John Chávez,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
-
Just outside the room, Hadley eagerly licked it up.—
Laura Ungar,
Los Angeles Times,
26 May 2026
Verb
-
Families Plenty of children roam the resort in head-to-toe Ralph Lauren—these little guests are as important as the larger ones.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
-
Praearcturus gigas is believed to be the largest scorpion to ever roam the Earth, and was discovered from fossils that have been tucked away in London’s Natural History Museum for more than 150 years.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
Soon after, hearing the thump of ball on metal gate, Badri stepped outside to check if his message had been heeded.—
Jacob Whitehead,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
Agents yelled from every direction, and the thumps of a news helicopter overhead were deafening.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
According to the complaint, the same ICE officer had hit Scelfo twice in the leg with a baton during a physical altercation.—
Chris Boyette,
CNN Money,
1 June 2026
-
To help pass the baton to new leaders more smoothly, businesses could think about giving younger leaders strategic responsibility earlier in their careers, supporting senior leaders to act in a coaching or sponsor capacity, or pushing more decisions to frontline teams and their managers.—
David Morel,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
The Rockies’ Kyle Karros hit an opposite-field line drive that carried to the right-field warning track, but Lee tracked down the potential extra-base hit on the run, then crashed into the chain-link portion of the fence.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
-
The hitting coaches have been really emphasizing it.—
Jeff Fletcher,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bat. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
